I received my BS in biochemistry at Brigham Young University in 2006 with investigators interested in mass spectrometry (MS) and learned about the ability of MS to perform precise quantitative measurements as I worked on synthesizing organic carrier molecules to purify radioactive material. I continued with graduate work under the tutelage of Dr. Grandis where I conducted research that elucidated the cellular signaling pathways involved in the pathogenesis of head and neck cancer (HNSCC). I successfully defended my dissertation ‘The Role of EGFRvIII in HNSCC ’ and received my PhD in April 2012. In the Clinical Chemistry Postdoctoral Fellowship Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center I currently conduct research on metastatic breast cancer, specifically the cytokines involved in metastatic dormancy in the liver as well as MS projects in the clinical laboratories.